Scaling Scrum: Ground Conditions to Scaling Scrum
There’s a common situation that many agilists find themselves in when working with organizations: while the Agile Coach or Scrum Masters are working with teams to help them improve their execution of their chosen agile framework, leaders are pushing towards implementing a scaling framework. My initial reaction when confronted with this situation is one of resistance. Don’t get me wrong...there are many valid reasons leaders may be pursuing a scaling framework (speed of growth, better alignment and coordination across multiple teams, clarity of aggregated reporting, etc.), but “Which scaling framework should we implement?” is a premature question for the situation. Leaders and organizations must first evaluate the “ground conditions” necessary for effective scaling and, only then, determine the best way to proceed.
What Problem Are We Trying To Solve?
At its core Agility boils down to a set of values and principles designed to improve the effectiveness of organizations and the lives of those who work in them. There are many practices and frameworks that implement these principles through their structure, events, artifacts and ideals. There may be a problem or challenge the organization is facing to which the perceived solution is scaling our agile implementation, unfortunately implementing scaling frameworks is often disruptive and costly. In this case, there is training needed for team members, consultants to bring in to help and intangibles such as change fatigue or resistance to continued structural changes in the organization. Leaders need to understand clearly why proceeding with implementing a scaling framework is necessary.
Leaders that ask “what problem are we trying to solve?” are often able to identify issues that can be resolved without implementing a scaling framework. One organization that I coached decided to implement SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework). Once my resistance to this idea subsided (SAFe is not my preferred method), I was able to ask the leaders involved, “what problem are you trying to solve?”. Together we found that there was a prioritization issue where there were too many top priorities entering the workflow, causing teams to be scattered and often not working on the most important of those priorities. This is a problem that would likely have persisted regardless of the scaling framework that was implemented as the organization lacked the discipline and focus to stick to only working on the absolute top priority item. Their energy was better spent solving that problem rather than figuring out the best way to implement SAFe.
Do “One Team Scrum” Well
After exploring the problem that you’re trying to solve and determining that a scaling framework is the best approach to solving that problem, before you do anything else...get good at one-team Scrum! Scaling frameworks exist because the Scrum Guide doesn’t provide advice on scaling as it’s designed for a single team working on a single product. First, organizations need to get good at effectively and consistently delivering using Scrum on a singular basis before considering scaling on top of it. Think of it this way...you’re playing a game of Jenga with a couple of friends. At the start of the game the tower is steady and strong. As you move “blocks from the bottom and you put them on top” the tower “weebles and it wobbles” until it eventually falls down. The reason for this? A weak foundation.
One-team Scrum is the foundation for your scaling framework. Organizations will not be successful implementing agility at scale if they’re building on a shoddy foundation. Take a good hard look at what learning and growth Scrum teams still need in your organization. How can you best support them as leaders? Perhaps they need additional coaching or training? Perhaps they would benefit from attending conferences or user groups? Perhaps they need a clearer understanding of the expectations placed on them by the organization? Or perhaps they just need more time to gel as a team in this new way of working. Regardless, it is your job as a leader in the organization to build a strong foundation before scaling on top of it.
Communicate the Need for Change
You’re clear on the problem that you’re trying to solve, the foundation of one-team Scrum that you’re building on top of is solid, and a scaling framework is the best solution to this problem, so you decide to proceed with scaling your agile implementation. The most important thing to do at this stage of the scaling implementation is to clearly communicate the need for the change and the vision for the change to everyone involved. Team members need to understand that there is a guiding purpose or urgent need for this change to their ways of working. They also need to understand the ways that achieving this purpose or meeting this need is meaningful to them. Being clear on the vision for the change (ie. the desired future state) is also critical. What are you aiming for? What would you like to see happen? What benefits are there in scaling? This understanding serves to motivate team members and align them to a common direction. Leaders are responsible for communicating not only the purpose, but also the vision for the change clearly and at every opportunity.
Check out Part 2 in this series as we focus on getting started with scaling your agile implementation.